Dian Kuswandini, The Jakarta Post, JakartaEnvironmental non-governmental organizations said the new Parliamentary Caucus on Environment and Sustainable Development at the House of Representatives should use the community perspective when dealing with environmental problems.

The House declared the establishment of the caucus last December during the Climate Change Conference in Bali as an effort to facilitate policy formulation in handling environmental problems.

Siti Maimunah from the Mining Advocacy Network said the caucus and the House should use the community perspective in their recommendations and decisions.

She criticized the House for using the "commodity perspective" when handling environmental issues like Lapindo mudflow in Sidoarjo, East Java.

"The House's statement that Lapindo mudflow was a natural disaster has closed public access to the rights to demand the accountability of those responsible," she said in a discussion here Monday.

In fact, she said, the House should be on the public's side and the newly established caucus should work to accommodate the public's aspirations.

Selamet Daryoni of the Jakarta branch of Indonesian Forum for the Environment (Walhi) said the caucus should perform as a medium for stakeholders, such as politicians, academicians and NGOs, to communicate everyone's aspirations.

"No domination should take place in the decision making," he told The Jakarta Post.

He said there was a fear the caucus could be used for certain political interests.

"Certain parties have often used such caucuses to carry out their interests, resulting in recommendations that bring no benefit to the public," he said.

Confirming this, Nizar Dahlan, a lawmaker with the House's Commission VII on environment, said the new caucus was planning several programs that would involve many elements.

"We're planning to coordinate some class actions as our concrete commitment to supporting the public interest in environmental issues," he told the Post.

He also said the caucus was continuing to empower its representatives in some regions to fulfill the local people's aspirations.

"We'll send more representatives to other regions to facilitate monitoring and control on environmental issues," he said. NGOs have criticized caucuses, which are considered important by many, for failing to influence the legislators to translate their recommendations into actions.

For example, Selamet said, the Jakarta Environmental Caucus, which opposed new highways in the city, didn't get support from House members.

He said he hoped the new parliamentary caucus would bring improvements on the environmental issues in the country as it had been established by the House itself.

"Caucuses within the legislative body should have a strong degree of commitment and consistency so they can bring improvements," he said.

Last year was marked by significant progress for the legislative body as the Parliamentary Caucus on Women succeeded in ensuring a 30 percent quota for women's representation in the legislative body in the bill on political parties.

Dian Kuswandini, The Jakarta Post, JakartaFollowing a new regulation to limit the types of crime reports handled by the Jakarta Police's complaint desk, several precinct offices said they were ready to implement it in order to solve cases faster.

The new regulation, announced Wednesday, was reportedly made in response to the Jakarta Police's low rate of solving cases through the desk. The Jakarta Police said it could only solve half of all cases received at the desk each year.

South Jakarta Police head Sr. Comr. Chairul Anwar said he had been informed of the new regulation in a meeting.

"The meeting announced the city police, precinct and subprecinct police would handle different cases," he told The Jakarta Post, adding that further discussion on the case categorization would be carried out soon.

He said his office was ready to implement the new regulation, as it would help the city police solve cases more efficiently.

Asked whether the new regulation would place more burden on the precinct police, Central Jakarta Police head Sr. Comr. Heru Winarko said his office had no problem in handling cases that used to be handled by the city police.

"The good thing is that cases could be identified and solved faster," he said.

Jakarta Police's head of operations division Sr. Comr. Irawan Dahlan said the new regulation stipulated the Jakarta Police would only handle crime reports with more than one-year sentences.

"As for the crimes with sentences less than one year, including unpleasant conduct and defamation, they will be handled by precinct and subprecinct police," he said Wednesday.

Irawan, however, said an exception would be made for high-profile state officials and for those who wanted to make a report of losses.

"That's because high-level state officials have privileges and a report of losses requires no investigation," he said. Head of the Jakarta Police's complaint desk Comr. Kasman Panjaitan said the desk received 5,000 to 6,000 crime complaints every year, but only half could be solved.

Billy, a resident of Cipinang, East Jakarta, said the distinction of cases to be handled by certain police offices would help the public decide where to report its cases. "With the new regulation, precinct or subprecinct police will no longer have excuses in rejecting people's reports, because it's already clear which cases they have to handle and which they don't," he said.

With mutilation crimes seemingly on the rise in Jakarta, a criminology expert has called on the mass media to play a part in preventing copycat crimes.Criminologist Adrianus Meliala from the University of Indonesia said when mutilation crimes occur, offenders sometimes copy cases that were extensively publicized in the media.

"That is why media outlets should not describe such cases in detail as it might trigger potential offenders to copy," he told The Jakarta Post on Wednesday.

Two mutilation crimes occurred in the Greater Jakarta area last week. Last Thursday, parts of a young woman's body were found in a hotel room in North Jakarta, while three days earlier the mutilated body of a boy was found in a box in Bekasi, West Java.

The mass media reported extensively on five mutilation cases in the Greater Jakarta area last year, while two mutilation cases were covered in both 2005 and 2006.

Three of the nine cases remain unsolved, with police yet to identify two of the victims. However, police have already solved the latest mutilation case with the arrest of Zaki, 27, on Tuesday for allegedly murdering Atikah, 22.

According to police reports, Zaki mutilated Atikah's body to hide her identity. Adrianus said in other countries, killers often mutilate the bodies of their victims to generate media coverage of their crimes.

However, he said in Indonesia offenders usually mutilate the bodies of their victims to cover up their crimes. South Jakarta Police Chief Sr. Comr. Chairul Anwar told the Post that many mutilation crimes occur because the offender is mentally ill or has a grudge on the victim.

However, the executive director of the Human Behavior Center, Sartono Mukadis, said law enforcers should be careful when categorizing murderers as mentally ill.

"If killers are categorized as mentally ill, they receive lighter sentences, despite the fact they are actually responsible for violent murders," he said.

Adrianus and Sartono both said police could potentially establish motives behind mutilation cases by examining the types of cuts made on victims' bodies.

Adrianus said when a victim is found with his or her face mutilated, personal revenge may have been the killer's motive. However, when a victim's genitalia is mutilated, jealousy is often behind the murder, he added.

Sartono said when the cuts made to a victim's body are neat, the murder was most likely well planned by a professional killer.

On the other hand, random cuts indicate that the killer committed the crime spontaneously or accidentally, he added. Three mutilation crimes have focused on children in the past two years, all of which are yet to be solved.

Adrianus said when the victim of a mutilation crime is a child, it could be said their murderer suffered from some form of sexually deviant behavior. Often the victims of these crimes are also sexually abused.

"The victims are often street children, who usually live in groups. The killers mutilate the children so other group members won't know about it," he said.

Sartono said murderers who focus on children are usually psychopaths who mutilate bodies to fulfill their personal fantasies and show off.

"After sexually abusing the victim, the offender panics for a while, but eventually becomes relaxed and enjoys it. Later, the killer may fantasize about the crime and abuse another victim," he said.

He said child predators often follow specific patterns and kill a victim every few months.

"They also love to show off their `masterpieces', throwing their victims' bodies on the side of the road so they are exposed," he said.

"I hope they allow psychologists or researchers to study these cases so as we know more about them in the future," he said.

The South Jakarta District Court was criticized Tuesday for its use of Indonesian laws in a child custody battle involving American citizens.

The court took Jonathan Kine's custody rights over his six-year-old daughter away for one year Monday after he lost a legal battle against his wife, Purnima Ralhan Kine.

Frans Hendra Winarta, the chairman of the Indonesian Foundation for Legal Studies, and Arist Merdeka Sirait, the secretary general of the National Commission for Child Protection, both said the court wrongly used the 2002 Child Protection Law and the 2004 Domestic Violence Law when interpreting the case.

Frans said the court should not have taken away Kine's custody rights over his daughter if he was still married to his wife.

"As long as a husband and wife are not divorced, they both have custody rights over their children and no one can take these rights away from them," he told The Jakarta Post.

Frans said Indonesian laws could only be applied to foreigners in civil cases if they agreed.

"But if a foreigner does not agree with Indonesian laws being used, then the court should not continue with the trial," he said.

Kine's lawyer, Bertua Hutapea, said she asked presiding judge Syafrullah Sumar not to continue with the trial as her client did not agree with Indonesian laws being used.

Arist said the verdict should not be valid because the court incorrectly used the Child Protection Law to separate Kine from his daughter.

"In fact, the law prohibits anyone from separating children and their parents," he told the Post.

He said guardianship over a child could only be withdrawn if one of the child's parents was guilty of committing a crime, used drugs or was mentally ill.

Arist said the couple's daughter had the right to legal protection and the right to be nurtured by both her mother and father.

"That is why we will follow up on this case and recommend to the court that the verdict be annulled," he said.

Arist said Kine had earlier asked the commission to help settle the case. In response to the request, representatives from the commission met the girl on several occasions, he said.

"In our interviews with the girl, we found out she was under pressure from her grandparents (Ms. Kine's parents), which caused her to have negative views about her father," Arist said.

"The girl actually wants her parents to be together again as she loves both of them."

In August last year, Ms. Kine moved to her parents' house in Kuningan, South Jakarta, which is next to the couple's residence, following a dispute between the two.

She took the couple's daughter with her, preventing Kine from seeing her.

Ms. Kine later asked the court to take away her husband's guardianship rights over their daughter, saying sole custody should be granted to her and her parents.

She also filed a report with the Jakarta Police accusing her husband of domestic violence (not beating, as reported in the Post on Jan. 22).

Another member of Kine's legal team, Suhendra Asido, said the court's decision should not have been based on the domestic violence allegations as the report was still being investigated by police.

An American citizen temporarily lost custody over his six-year-old daughter Monday when he lost a legal battle against his wife in the South Jakarta District Court.

Jonathan Kine and his lawyers immediately protested when the verdict, based on the 2002 Child Protection Law and the 2004 Domestic Violence Law, was handed down.

They said the court should not have based its decision on local laws because Kine and his wife, Purnima Ralhan Kine, were foreign nationals.

Presiding judge Syafrullah Sumar ruled Ms. Kine had sole custody over the couple's child for a year or until another court order was handed down.

Kine must ask for his wife's permission before seeing his daughter, according to the verdict.

The court said police should ensure the safety of Ms. Kine, her parents and the couple's daughter. The judge said the verdict was meant to protect the child from psychological trauma during her parents' dispute. "If he (Kine) doesn't like the court's decision, he should appeal," Syafrullah told The Jakarta Post outside the courtroom. In August last year, Ms. Kine moved into her parents' house in Kuningan, South Jakarta, after a dispute broke out between her and her husband. Ms. Kine did not allow Kine to see their daughter.

The couple had been together for 10 years.

Ms. Kine asked the court to cancel her husband's guardianship over their daughter, saying sole custody should be granted to her and her parents.

Ms. Kine also filed a report with the Jakarta Police, accusing her husband of beating and threatening her.

Kine said he was disappointed by the verdict as he did not commit any crime. However, he said he was more upset about not being able to see his daughter. "They haven't allowed me to see my daughter for the past four months, so I'm not sure whether they will give me permission now," Kine said.

His lawyer, Suhendra Asido, said the verdict should not have been based on the allegations of violence as police investigations were still taking place.

He criticized the court for using Indonesian laws to handle the case due to the fact the couple were married in the United States. Their child, who was born in Jakarta, is also an American citizen.

"So this case should have been decided according to American laws," he said.

"Besides, Jonathan and his wife are not divorced yet, which means they both have equal rights when it comes to taking care of their child."

Another member of Kine's legal team, Bertua Hutapea, said the verdict was the first of its kind in the country.

She said International Civil Law was used in the country and was based on the nationality system, meaning any case involving foreigners should be decided under the laws of their own country.

Jonathan said he and his lawyers would report the alleged legal violation to the Judicial Commission and planned to appeal to the Supreme Court.

Dian Kuswandini, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta After the price of soybeans spiraled to all time highs this week, forcing vendors and producers of tofu and tempeh into strike action, traditional markets across the city were filled with enthusiastic customers Thursday as the product hit the stands again.

For three days soybeans, tempeh and tofu products had disappeared from markets and dishes, but with the government's promised reversal of their tariff, the product was on sale again, albeit with some price disparities.

Titik, a 52-year-old housewife, said tempeh and tofu were the first items she bought when she arrived at the Rawamangun traditional market in East Jakarta at around 7 a.m.

"We miss tofu and tempeh. I'm glad that they are now available again," she told The Jakarta Post.

She said the price of white tofu was Rp 2,000 (21 U.S. cents) per pack of five small pieces, which was the same as before, but a piece of medium-sized tempeh cost Rp 2,000, and increase of about 30 percent of the usual price.

Ati, a tofu vendor at Pejagalan traditional market in North Jakarta, said customers had packed her stall at around 4 a.m. and in just two-and-a-half hours she had sold all her stock.

"Usually even at 10 a.m. there is still some left," she said. "Now people know how it feels to lose tofu and tempeh."She said there had been much enthusiasm around purchases of the soybean-based product and that she had sold more tofu than usual.

"Normally I can sell 900 or 1,000 pieces of white tofu, but today I prepared 1,300 pieces and all were sold out in just a short time," she said.

Despite the high demand on tofu, Ati said she and other tofu vendors at the market had not increased prices.

"We want to keep the price normal at least until next week, while we wait for the government to fulfill their promise to scrap the soybean import duty," she said.

Herman, a restaurateur, said all morning people had struggled to buy tofu and tempeh at Palmerah traditional market in Central Jakarta.

He said not many vendors were selling tofu and tempeh at the market because of the lack of supply from producers.

"Many customers decided to buy tofu and tempeh in large quantities, maybe they were afraid there would be no enough stock for tomorrow," he said.

Herman said a large-sized piece of tempeh cost him Rp 7,000, compared to Rp 5,000 for the same sized piece before the shortage.

"I really hope the government will do something to stabilize the price as tempeh and tofu have been part of our daily menu.

"I even believe that President SBY (Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono) loves tempeh," he said.

A rally outside the State Palace was also held Monday to demand the government lower soybean prices and discontinue the free trade policy that sees private companies to control the market.

The strike caused disappointment among customers and food sellers because soybean-based foods disappeared from menus.

Soybeans are mostly imported to Indonesia from the U.S. and prices have continued to increase, reaching almost 125 percent, since January last year, said Asep Hidayat, head of the Tangerang Tofu and Tempeh Communication Forum.

Asep said soybean prices were around Rp 3,300 per kilogram in January, but prices had recently hit Rp 7,400.

In attempts to curb soybean prices, the government on Monday decided to eliminate the 10 percent import duty on the commodity and said it would consider allowing more importers to supply the commodity.

Approaching the end of Governor Fauzi Bowo's first 100-day action plan, Jakartans were divided on how the city administration performed.

The plan, which spans from Oct. 8 to Jan. 15, comprises 19 areas ranging from the reduction of traffic congestion caused by busway lane construction, to the development of the Mass Rapid Transit (monorail) project, flood mitigation and providing better public facilities for disabled people.

Alwi Shahab, a historian and avid observer of Jakarta, said Fauzi's 100-day plan had not shown any significant results. However, he said, Fauzi's efforts to improve Jakarta were commendable.

"The problem is, his programs were not well delegated to lower-level officials. It made his plans ineffective," he told The Jakarta Post.

He said a plan would be remarkable if it was carried out by neighborhood and community units, involving residents.

Urban planning expert from Trisakti University, Yayat Supriatna, said it was difficult for the public to evaluate the governor's 100-day performance, as the plans' targets were unclear.

"Let's say the poverty level rose by 40 percent last year. If the administration had targeted to decrease that level, then it could be evaluated," he said.

Fauzi Bowo had shown improvement at an internal and horizontal level, but failed to tackle the city's crucial problems, Yayat said.

"Unlike former Governor Sutiyoso, Fauzi has shown a commitment to cooperate and coordinate with top leaders from Tangerang, Bogor and Bekasi in handling the flood problem," he said.

At an internal level, Fauzi had shown progress in the recruitment of new officials, he said.

"However, on a wider level, Jakartans have not really benefited from his programs," Yayat said. The 100-day programs were just a beginning, he said. To know what Fauzi's next steps would be was the most important thing for now, Yayat said.

Unlike the urban experts and observers, many residents appeared not to know about Fauzi's 100-day plan. "National issues like disasters have taken my attention more than the governor's programs," Olansons Girsang, a lecturer's assistant at University of Indonesia, said Saturday.

He said the 100-day plan was not well known, since it had not been well publicized by the government. Andre Djarot, winner of the 2005 Abang Jakarta (Jakarta's youth tourism ambassador) award, also said the administration had failed to publicize it.

"In my opinion, people see the work merely as a continuation of Sutiyoso's programs," he told the Post. The city administration had shown more progress than previously in handling the flood problem, but the traffic problem has worsened, Djarot said.

In fact very few Jakartans interviewed were familiar with the 100-day plan. When asked for their opinions on it, many chose to talk about getting a better representation of society in the administration.

A member of the public organization Betawi Consultative Body, Syahrul Kumala, said Saturday he hoped the governor would give priority to Betawi natives in electing staff for strategic positions.

"The governor should replace under-qualified officials with Betawi professionals," he told the Post. Syahrul, however, did not explain what Fauzi had missed and needed to improve in his 100-day plan, nor did he mention any knowledge of its contents.

Another body member, identifying himself as only Taufik, like Syahrul said he wanted more ethnic representatives contributing to the making of bylaws.

As for the 100-day plan, he only said, "It's good, I give it my support," but did not comment on any particular area.

Dian Kuswandini, The Jakarta Post, JakartaNegligence on the part of motorists and the poor condition of roads contributed to a large increase in the number of traffic accidents in Greater Jakarta last year. In 2007, 4,466 traffic accidents were reported in Jakarta, while in 2006 the number of accidents reported was 40 percent less at 3,908 cases, according to data from the Jakarta Police Traffic Management Center (TMC). Last year, 754 accidents were reported in East Jakarta, which was exactly the same number of accidents reported in the area the previous year. In North Jakarta, traffic accidents increased by almost 120 percent in 2007, with some 701 accidents reported. The number of accidents in South Jakarta in 2007 increased by 67 percent to 640. "Most of the accidents involved motorcycles," TMC officer First. Brig. Yoka Mulyadi told The Jakarta Post on Friday. "The main factor contributing to the huge number of traffic accidents in Jakarta is the negligence of motorists," he added. Separately, Fransiscus Trisbiantara, the head of transportation studies at Trisakti University, said most motorcycle accidents occurred because riders were unskilled. He said research showed that more than 50 percent of accident victims did not have driving licenses. He said the poor condition of several roads around the city also contributed to the increasing number of accidents in 2007. Last year the university joined forces with several other organizations to conduct research into the cause of accidents in Jakarta. Their findings revealed that on average more than 300 casualties were reported in Jakarta per month due to motorcycle accidents. "Our numbers are higher than police figures because we also checked hospitals," Trisbiantara told the Post. He said the construction of busway lanes and toll roads also affected road conditions, which in turn had the potential to cause accidents when there were no signs to warn motorists. To prevent motorcycle accidents, Trisbiantara said police should carry out more raids on motorcycle riders to check their licenses and other documents. "Police should also enforce regulations that oblige motorcyclists to stay on the left side of the street," he said, adding that the city administration should provide special lanes for motorcyclists. Police data shows that accidents in 2007 involved 4,296 drivers, with 508 deaths and 2,810 injuries recorded in total. Last year the Traffic Management Center received more than 700,000 reports and questions covering 16 categories. These included accidents, traffic regulation violations, traffic congestion, driving licenses, vehicle ownership documents, vehicle tax, lost vehicles, vehicle identity queries, gambling, drugs, thuggery, bomb threats, criticism, advice and compliments. "People often ask us about vehicle identity information before they purchase cars or motorcycles. They want to compare our data with the data given by vehicle sellers," Yoka said. The center also received 17,755 reports and complaints related to traffic congestion in the city last year. People can contact the center by sending a text message to 1717, calling 021-5276001, visiting www.lantas.metro.polri.go.id, calling Suara Metro Radio 107,8 FM on 570-8037 or 08121111911 or by sending a fax to 021-5276004.

With heavy rain continuing to pour down across the city, motorists are spending a great deal of their time sitting in traffic jams.

Flooding in several areas of the capital has damaged roads and traffic lights, First Adj. Insp. Kasno from the city police's Traffic Management Center told The Jakarta Post on Thursday.

More than 30 streets are currently damaged in the city, with 16 sets of traffic lights not working, he said.

"Damaged streets are dangerous for motorists and can be the site of accidents. Motorcyclists often fall when traveling on damaged streets as they are not aware of the holes."

He said motorists should travel slowly to avoid accidents.

The Traffic Management Center reported that faulty traffic lights could be found on Jl. Joko Sutono, Jl. Barito and Jl. Ampera in South Jakarta and on Jl. Ahmad Yani in front of the East Jakarta District Court.

City police spokesman Sr. Comr. I Ketut Untung Yoga Ana said police had informed the City Transportation Agency about the faulty traffic lights.

"Traffic lights are the agency's responsibility. But we have deployed officers to manage traffic in dangerous areas," he told reporters.

Yoga said more than 3,000 police officers had been deployed to flooded areas in Jakarta. "The officers were not deployed to evacuate flood victims, but rather to secure flooded areas during the evacuation process," he said.

As a consequence, East Jakarta, Central Jakarta and East Jakarta were submerged, while North Jakarta, which has been inundated by sea water from high tides since last month, would not be flood-free for another few months, Heru said.

West Jakarta was also relatively safe from the possibility of flooding, he said.

The city administration had prepared hundreds of evacuation posts in all municipalities for flood victims. They had arranged dinghies and had ordered officers, including 7,123 personnel of the police civil unit, to stand guard and "prepare for the worst", Heru said.

Climatologist Endro Santoso from the Meteorology and Geophysics Agency (BMG) said high rainwater levels across Java Island, along with a seasonal monsoon wind phenomenon and high temperatures in the Java Sea had caused flooding in the greater Jakarta area.

"For the past three days, the Asian monsoon wind has been intensively migrating to Indonesia, carrying more moist air to the Java sea, and this led to heavy rain in Java," Endro told The Jakarta Post.

He said the Asian monsoon wind occurred when atmospheric pressure was high across the Asian continent and low across Australia, resulting in heavy rain and thunderstorms.